For 15 years, Carijean Buhk, 49, has volunteered in a little-known area of Maier Festival Park that is not meant to draw crowds.

The National Spinal Cord Injury Association Respite Pavilion, in fact, is meant to be a place of relaxation and acceptance for people with disabilities. Buhk's favorite part of the job? Watching the moment people realize the respite exists.

"I've seen people who haven't come to Summerfest for years because they didn't feel welcome," Buhk said. But the people who walk into the respite "get excited about being able to come (to the fest)."

In fact, for many people with disabilities, the ability to navigate a place like Summerfest is a make-it-or-break-it detail. That is why the respite center, located aside the Miller Lite Oasis in the center of Summerfest grounds, is just one of a plethora of efforts to make the fest a place for everyone. Other services include large print and braille reading materials, accessible bathrooms and seating areas, sign language interpreters (upon request) and a group of volunteers to provide for any needs that may arise.

The creation of these resources was far from spontaneous. Summerfest's ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Task Force meets twice a year — once before and once after the fest — to assess needs and areas of growth, said Vic Thomas, Summerfest's associate entertainment director and chair of the task force. The task force includes representatives from advocacy groups and a representative from Milwaukee County and Milwaukee County Transit System.

The National Spinal Cord Injury Association Respite Pavilion provides a place for anyone who has a disability to take a break.(Photo: Rick Wood, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

During the festival, staff strive to meet immediate needs that may come up.

On July 6, that need came in the form of a call from a stage where attendees were standing in front of the accessible seating area, blocking the view for some. The response was immediate, said Frank Nicotera, Milwaukee World Festival's general counsel. Staff were sent to relocate anyone standing in front of the ADA area.

It's a little move that matters. Kristen Colston, 23, who uses a wheelchair, has been in situations where the ADA seating was only in the back, where she couldn't see the performer. Summerfest, she said, was "one of my best experiences at concerts."

Dutch Gesselle, 68, agreed. The resources, like the respite center and shuttles from the parking lot to the gate, were great, he said. But the people were even better.

"We're always No. 1," he said.

Gesselle called the respite center, in particular, "lifesaving for people like me." This is his fifth year attending the fest.

"If it wasn't for the service, I wouldn't be able to be here," he said.

Fans with disabilities enjoy their own viewing area as they watch Bobby Friss on the Miller Lite Oasis stage at Summerfest.(Photo: Rick Wood / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

About 2,200 people use the respite center in a year of festivals, said John Dziewa, president of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association. In addition to accessible bathrooms, which can be found across the park, the center has storage for oxygen tanks and a rest area for service dogs. The room is a place to cool down if it gets too hot outside.

Gesselle said the only improvement he would suggest would be telling more people that the center and other resources exist. Despite an ADA brochure in print and online, and a team of volunteers who walk the fest to spread the word about the center, Dziewa agreed that the challenge of informing people remains.

Other improvements on the horizon for the Summerfest grounds include renovating the American Family Insurance Amphitheater, which was built before the ADA was passed. The renovation is scheduled for 2019-'20. And for people who often have to worry about the little things — "What I always think about is the bathrooms," said Buhk, herself a wheelchair user — Summerfest continues to adapt, adjust and learn, Thomas said. And it shows.